The purpose of this study is to analyze the changes of day-care policy in Korea from historical perspectives. The methods of the study include both literature review and interviews. For the analysis of policy changes, literatures of the policies from 1960 to 2008 were reviewed. In addition, interviews are used to explore some policies in detail. There appears to be three main shifts of the policies: the deficit period, the participatory period, and the period of children's right. The deficit period includes day-care policies for children in need. The policies of participatory period focused on the participation of the parents, teachers, and administrators in the decision-making process of policies and administration as down-top process. Finally, the policies of children's right emphasized the rights of children in day-care. These changes were found to be influenced by social, political, and cultural changes related to history in Korea. The deficit period was mainly influenced by social change whereas both the participatory period and the period of children' right were mostly influenced by political factors. Even though those policies are legitimate, some of those policies are found to be ineffective in administration system. The reason of the ineffectiveness is attributed to the cultural factors as well as administration system. In conclusion, the importance of cultural aspects of policy and administration will be discussed.
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